There’s an interesting YouTube channel called People Make Games that does investigative journalism in the video game and tabletop game world, as well as immersive explorations of different kinds of games, all a celebration of the games people make. And it strikes me, as an artist myself, that making things with our own bodies and brains is one of the things that makes us human. I’m not trying to make a sweeping and perfect definition of art, of course, that would take much more space than I have here! But people making things, that seems to be a huge part of it.

And as much as I am in awe of the things computers can do these days—robot-assisted surgery anyone?!—I fundamentally disagree with genAI being able to replace either game designers or artists. I bring this up not to cause consternation, but to celebrate the unique work and creativity of people. Earlier this year, I think it was, the COO of giant game publisher AEG Ryan Dancey actually lost his job over comments he made about genAI versus human creativity:

I have zero reason to believe that an AI couldn’t ‘come up with Tiny Towns or Flip Seven or Cubitos’. I can prompt any of several AIs RIGHT NOW and get ideas for games as good as those. The gaming industry doesn’t exist because humans create otherwise unobtainable ideas. It exists because many many previous games exist, feed into the minds of designers, who produce new variants on those themes. People then apply risk capital against those ideas to see if there’s a product market fit…Game publishing isn’t an industry of unique special ideas. It’s an industry about execution, marketing, and attention to detail. All things AIs are great at.

There’s a lot of discussion of this kind of thing in the gaming world, from genAI doing all the work to using it for editing or playtesting purposes. But to say that the gaming industry exists because humans have no new ideas, but only compute old ones into a profitable products? Categorically no. Of course publishers look for marketable games, just as Free Parking needs to stay open in order to be a community gathering place, but that’s not the why. People make games because it’s fun, because we get ideas in our heads that won’t let us go, because we want to express something to other people, and for a thousand other unmarketable reasons! The world of our human brains and the physical spaces where we can play together are so beautiful and messy and connecting.

Friends, keep warm, keep heart, and keep playing.

Alice C., board game librarian

Play games from CMYK!

That’s so many games! It’s not everything they publish (yet), but it’s a good selection, and we love them!

CMYK is a semi-local board game publisher who publish colorful, magnetic games—not like magnets, but like you see them and are drawn to them automatically. Their games are easy to pick up and hard to stop playing. They have clear, helpful rulebooks, something I rejoice to see.

The Magenta line of games are small-box card games with straightforward rules and elegant packaging—they look great all lined up on the shelf! Magical Athlete and Hot Streak are ridiculous race games with little to no strategy, but will have your table laughing over and over. Spots and Quacks are press-your-luck games where the rewards are great, but only if you stop in time. Wavelength is a coop game challenging your team to find the sweet spot on a spectrum; Lacuna is a relaxed two-player game of geometry and flowers; and Grabble, their newest release, is a fast-paced dexterity game of collecting the best tiny cupful of miscellaneous items.

Try our limited time sweet potato burger!

It’s our classic veggie burger with crisp lettuce and onion, juicy tomato, and our signature sauce, but the patty is sweet potatoes and white beans. A delightful twist on an old favorite! Get them before they’re gone!